# Human Food



## Eeveelution (Apr 5, 2010)

Okay, we know several things that Pokémon can eat (berries, Poffins, Pokéblocks, Moo Moo Milk, etc.), but almost nothing about what humans eat other than what's shown in the Anime. Even then you have to wonder about the human food, since they don't always identify it, and mostly the food is Japanese because it's from Japan. In the games, there are even restaurants, though you can't order from them. So, what do you think humans eat?

I think they'd probably be able to drink Moo Moo Milk like Pokémon do. Maybe some eggs from bird Pokémon (I don't say flying-type because that includes bug-types, dragon-types, and Gyrados, which we really wouldn't make angry). Other things I can think of include cereal, most deserts, salads, and soup.

Stuff that's been confirmed by the games:

Tea (by FireRed and LeafGreen)
Water, Soda Pop and Lemonade (I think all games have them)
Soup? (Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia - Woman gives something to Ollie. Correct me if I'm wrong.)
Moo Moo Milk (In Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, that's all one cafe will serve)
Lake of Rage Candybar (sold to you in Mahogany Town)
Slowpoke Tail (Rockets try to sell it to you)

Tell me if I forgot anything.


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## IcySapphire (Apr 5, 2010)

I wouldn't be surprised if there are beef Miltanks as well as dairy Miltanks, and Magikarp filets


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## Eeveelution (Apr 5, 2010)

I remember that in the anime, they mentioned Magikarp wasn't good tasting and was mostly just bone and scales, so I doubt that. As for the beef Miltanks, poor Miltanks. Now I wonder what Pokémon would think if they saw their trainers eating meat... o_O


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## Dr Frank (Apr 5, 2010)

I'm certain that *ice-cream* and *burgers* (hamburgers?) have been shown and consumed by people in the anime. Can't quite remember the episode number and season, but I do remember a bit of the episodes.

Other than that the people, in the games, mostly photosynthesise. I guess...
Actually, that's a pretty good guess, explain how else you travel the whole region without the need to consume an article of nutrition once?


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## Lili (Apr 5, 2010)

There are apples in the Mystery Dungeon games, but I'm not sure if that would count since the games aren't in the human world.

Also, in Destiny Deoxys, hot dogs were shown in an automatic vendor, along with bottled water, and other drinks in cups that resemble slushie-cups.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 5, 2010)

why do the beef have to be miltank? why no beef tauros?


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## Lili (Apr 5, 2010)

I think anything bovine-like would produce meat in the Pokemon world, so Tauros could be used for beef also.


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Apr 5, 2010)

I like to think that people used to eat Pokémon (and vice-versa) but now, due to moral objections, they've developed some sort of hyper-tofu and refer to 'hamburgers' as such due to tradition/force of habit.


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## Karkat Vantas (Apr 5, 2010)

Meat in the Pokemon world is probably just a mix of soy, wheat, etc. and artificial flavoring. I doubt they'd eat Pokemon.

Farfetch'd have been canonically eaten to near-extinction.


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## Lili (Apr 5, 2010)

Why wouldn't they eat Pokemon? We eat animals in our world - pigs(Spoink?), chicken(Torchic), etc. Unless due to the Pokemon having fire/psychic/water/etc. powers, the humans in the series couldn't consume them.


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Apr 5, 2010)

Because they're _sentient._ Eating them would be _weird._


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## Flygon1 (Apr 6, 2010)

One of the legends in the Canalave library talks about a young man who started smiting Pokemon left and right, both *for sustenance* and because he was young and arrogant. Perhaps people used to eat Pokemon, but became vegetarians as Poke Balls were invented and the bond between Pokemon and humans deepened.


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## ultraviolet (Apr 6, 2010)

There are a couple references to eating Pokemon in Platinum:



			
				Veilstone's Myth said:
			
		

> A young man, callow and foolish in innocence, came to own a sword. With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave sustenance, with carefree abandon. Those not taken as food, he discarded, with no afterthought. The following year, no Pokémon appeared. Larders grew bare.





			
				Sinnoh Folk Story 1 said:
			
		

> Pick clean the bones of Pokémon caught in the sea or stream. Thank them for the meals they provide, and pick their bones clean. When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came. The Pokémon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew.


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## Lady Grimdour (Apr 6, 2010)

Blastoise said:


> I like to think that people used to eat Pokémon (and vice-versa) but now, due to moral objections, they've developed some sort of hyper-tofu and refer to 'hamburgers' as such due to tradition/force of habit.


This.

Expanding on that, most Pokemon food are black market stuff. For example, Slowpoketail. They were being sold for a million, for crying out loud.

I would write an article about this but I can't be bothered.


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## ultraviolet (Apr 6, 2010)

> Expanding on that, most Pokemon food are black market stuff. For  example, Slowpoketail. They were being sold for a million, for crying  out loud.


I thought that was because they cut them off _live _Slowpoke, though, not because there was a taboo against it in general.


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## Lady Grimdour (Apr 6, 2010)

ultraviolet said:


> I thought that was because they cut them off _live _Slowpoke, though, not because there was a taboo against it in general.


That too, but still.


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## Eeveelution (Apr 6, 2010)

Actually, I think that Chinese cooks have developed a type of cooking that makes vegetarian meals taste like real meat. Also, I've had a veggie burger, and it tasted like a regular hamburger, so that probably explains the hamburgers. I believe the ice cream was shown in an episode with the Clefairy rocket thing. There was also one episode where they were looking for a noodle restaurant. By the way, good catch on the Canalave library. I forgot about that.

Some evidence towards the vegetarian thing I can think of is that in the anime, Ash sent a Mr. Mime to his mom, and it can cook. I doubt that a Pokémon would cook meals made of other Pokémon, since they could probably tell if it was a Pokémon. Going along those lines, perhaps the true measure of fake meat would be if a Pokémon couldn't tell the difference between that and real meat.


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## Mango (Apr 6, 2010)

Don't they have actual animals as well as Pokemon? I'm pretty sure we've seen regular fish in a few episodes so I think it's safe to assume there are animals as well.


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## Dannichu (Apr 7, 2010)

After playing HG/SS and having my Swinub snuggle up to me, my Pidgey playfully nip at my toes and my Miltank be delighted at walking with me, the idea of eating Pokemon is pretty horrifying.


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## Sandstone-Shadow (Apr 7, 2010)

Brock makes those rice cake things all the time in the anime, at least when I still watched it. I think they were rice cakes; they were white triangles with black rectangles on the bottom. Anyone remember those?


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## ultraviolet (Apr 7, 2010)

I thought they were onigiri?


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## Great Boo (Apr 7, 2010)

1. Their team's weakest link. I've been patient, Ralts, but you've fainted one time too many.
2. TinyMushrooms. Duuude, do you think that, like, Arceus could create a Pokemon so tough, that even he couldn't catch it?
3. Berries. Some dude in some game (shut up I don't remember, I think it was one of the GSC games) says that he ate a Pokemon berry and that people probably shouldn't eat them but it was really tasty. They probably all just give humans explosive diarrhea.

I dunno. I disagree with the "eating Pokemon would be weird", though. How is eating a somewhat-sentient being (after killing them humanely, presumably) more morally dubious than storing them in a tiny ball and making them fight each other for your amusement and, should you win, cash monies?

Besides, the Pokedex in the games say that people eat some of them. Like Farfetch'd. I think.


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## brandman (Apr 7, 2010)

I don't really think it would be weird to eat pokemon. They're close to sentience, but I see them more as pets doing very, VERY, dangerous tricks. It would also have to do with your culture. You may think that Houndour is a wonderful pet but someone else may think he is a delicasy. 0.o

Also I think they have regular animals in the world too. Though I simply think that pokemon would be animals, just in a different phylum. 

Though I am surprised at how many drug references are in the game. Oh and take off slowpoke tail as a food, it's a drug since people "chew" on them. Also the mushrooms. 

I heard from somewhere that the regions were based off of actual area's in Japan, well, at least the geography. So yeah, sushi would be a must.


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## Eeveelution (Apr 7, 2010)

Well, I recall that in one episode of the anime, they mentioned a plant called "Pokémon Nip" that "attracted Pokémon like cat nip attracts cats" or something along those lines. And sadly, Great Boo has a point: it is pretty inhumane to treat Pokémon like that. That's why Pikachu is always out of its Poké Ball: it didn't want to go back in when Ash first got it.


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Apr 7, 2010)

> Oh and take off slowpoke tail as a food, it's a drug since people "chew"  on them.


So sugar cane is now a drug?

And chewing gum?


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## Lady Grimdour (Apr 7, 2010)

Guys, regular animals have been RETCONNED since G/S/C. Therefore they don't exist anymore.

Oh and rice balls = onigiri. Also, the regions are enlarged versions of Japan. Sinnoh = Hokkaido, Kanto shares the name with its realworld counterpart, Johto = Kansai, Hoenn = Kyushu on its side.

As per Mimey cooking food, it could be that the fake meat doesn't have the chemicals that real meat does that makes Pokemon sense if it's Pokemon meat or not. Even so, it would only affect a select few; not many Pokemon cook food, and some Pokemon are carnivorous, and would only think of cooked Pokemon meat as "processed".


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## brandman (Apr 8, 2010)

Blastoise said:


> So sugar cane is now a drug?
> 
> And chewing gum?


Well... technically sugar is a drug too... not my point though. I meant it was an illegal drug. If you look in SoulSilver's pokedex entry for slowpoke you get that "people like to chew their tails as it secretes a sweet sap"*. And if it wasn't technicly a drug, why were people selling the tails for one million?

Also, even though chew tobago is not illegal, it is a drug and could be considered a drug because of all of it's addictives.

*not word for word


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 8, 2010)

... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define:drug

ED: the noun forms, not the verbs.


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## Ymedron (Apr 8, 2010)

I personally think that eating pokemon wouldn't be weird or creepy at all.

What do pokemon eat? Pokemon are sentient, they eat each other. (at least according to the games.) Shouldn't they stop eating each other too? 

The relationship between a trainer and a pokemon is like a human and their pet, while pokemon raised for their meat are probably more like the 'traditional' domesticated animals. One could even think that the pokemon that are raised for food have been bred to be of a simpler mind, just like dogs are somewhat less smart than their wild relatives.

And pokemon's opinions?
Cannibalization is far more common in animal society than most believe- Mothers eat their offspring if they are deformed or if she is too weak to take care of them. A certain species of frogs has a trait that causes half of the tadpoles to become herbivores, and the other half to become carnivores that eat the herbivores.
The general opinion of pokemon might be 'It's the way of life.' Wild pokemon should at least have this sentiment to the predation. A stantler getting angry at a pack of mightyena for eating it's brother would only spell death to the stantler.
Sure, in every group there are individuals with different opinions.

(this gives me too many ideas- People for the Ethical treatment of Pokemon?)


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## Lady Grimdour (Apr 8, 2010)

Ymedron said:


> I personally think that eating pokemon wouldn't be weird or creepy at all.
> 
> What do pokemon eat? Pokemon are sentient, they eat each other. (at least according to the games.) Shouldn't they stop eating each other too?
> 
> ...


This.

Though I doubt Nintendo were thinking this; Pokemon is primarily a kid's game and Nidoqueen eating their young wouldn't exactly be cute.


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## Dannichu (Apr 8, 2010)

I posted on this, I swear I did )<



> I personally think that eating pokemon wouldn't be weird or creepy at all.
> 
> What do pokemon eat? Pokemon are sentient, they eat each other. (at least according to the games.) Shouldn't they stop eating each other too?
> 
> ...


Pokemon's opinions wouldn't matter - Pokemon (from what we know) don't have morals, and it's silly to apply human morals to non-human animals. I don't get this argument; "They do it to each other, so we're morally justified doing it to them"? This logic leads to horrible places.

Pokemon are sentient and I can't see how killing a sentient creature for food is _not_ creepy or weird.


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## Ymedron (Apr 8, 2010)

Well, that is, if you consider humans set apart from the nature. I myself think that human is an animal, and has it's place in the natural order. It wouldn't be fair for humans that they couldn't eat meat.

If the argument that eating sentient creatures: creepy, then why do you contradict that argument by saying that they don't have morals? Morals are derived from the natural rules in animal society. Wolves have morals: Have territories to divide food equally, don't kill your own species with no reason (to preserve the species), raise the cubs.
'Morals' are there to prevent the species from killing itself.
(If I understand right and morals define killing, living and interacting with others)

Pokemon would have morals, they would just be different from ours.


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## Dannichu (Apr 8, 2010)

Humans set _themselves_ away from nature. Humans have removed themselves from the natural order. Nature would have me die of an asthma attack. I have faulty lungs and can't breathe as well as other people. If I'm allowed to get old and breed and pass on my faulty-lung genes, I weaken the species. Is this "unfair" to the rest of the human race?

I think you're confusing morals with instinct. Wolves don't have morals - what they do, the way they behave, is based on the survival of the self and/or of the pack. There's nothing moral about it. 

Humans have a sense of morality that means that if someone's mentally disabled, we, as a society, look after them. Humans have invented inhalers so people like me don't die every time they get a lung infection. There's absolutely no gain, from an evolutionary perspective, from looking after disabled people or making medicine to treat people with incurable chronic illnesses. Evolution says they're a drain on society and a risk to the genepool, but because we are capable of reason and empathy and morals, we look after them.

And those morals have absolutely nothing to do with the natural rules in animal society.


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## Ymedron (Apr 9, 2010)

Well, if you pass those genes on, it won't weaken the human species any more than a drop of muddy water darkens a sea. 

Morals rise from evolution- it has been advantageous for humans recently to look after the weak and sick. Every animal has moral values, people just don't want to admit that animals could contain any sense of self-awareness in them. 

THe reason why humans look after sick has risen from the feelings of compassion, which have evolved so humans would work together better. If a human wouldn't care about the plight of other humans, the early tribes would have disappeared and died.


Why do you complain about the ethicality and morals of eating sentient animals (pokemon) if they have nothing to do with nature? To me, it seems that in the world of pokemon there are somewhat less humans than in our world. Also to me it seems that humans are killed by predatory pokemon, they just do not choose to show it.

Either pokemon are sapient, have complex social behaviour and moral values (or 'instincts') to define their behaviour amongst themselves and others, or they are just simple animals with an exceptional ability to decipher human speech.

Either way, if humans weren't so distant from the nature, they would consider other animals killing them just the way of the life. A tribe reveled bears as gods. They then developed a belief that stated that bears don't really want to be on earth, and when they killed and ate them, the bear-spirit was freed.
Similar beliefs and sentiments would exist in a sapient pokemon society. (Trained pokemon would find eating pokemon meat a bit more objectionable, perhaps)

PS: Humans are animals, but their population is so grotesquely large that it isn't in the order of nature here. My apologies for derailing my thoughts.


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## Gargroyal (Apr 11, 2010)

the shaymin movie showed pancakes i think
also in one of the shows, ash was eating a fried magikarp? the shape was magikarp on a stick and it looked fried


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## brandman (Apr 17, 2010)

sreservoir said:


> ... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define:drug
> 
> ED: the noun forms, not the verbs.


^ That... somewhat.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 17, 2010)

no, that's saying you're _wrong_.


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## brandman (Apr 17, 2010)

sreservoir said:


> no, that's saying you're _wrong_.


No, actually, it proves me right. Scroll down, and find this:

*A chemical compound or substance that can alter the structure and function of the body.*

Sugar can alter the function of your body, if you contradict this then you are most definitely _wrong_. There are many substances that can do this that are considered drugs, so no, I'm not wrong.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 17, 2010)

O_2 is a drug. think about that a bit.

now, let's take that further. people react oddly to money sometimes. _money is a drug._

see how absurd that becomes?

if you're using definition like that, I have an eiffel tower to sell you.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 17, 2010)

also, you're falling into the trap that if some A are some B, all A are all B.


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## brandman (Apr 17, 2010)

Money can be sometimes an addictive, but that doesn't make it a drug. It's a substance, or *chemical*. Although money is a substance, it doesn't make it a drug. Plus, I was using _your_ example for the argument. Let's see another definition of a drug.

From wikipedia

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when *absorbed* into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.

Do you *absorb* money? No, last time I checked. In the above posts you are now contradicting yourself, as you said "it" was proving me wrong, when hence, you have just proved yourself wrong.

Keep your facts strait.

Now let's stick to topic.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 17, 2010)

do you understand the meanings of _or_ and _any_? also, that's a _broadly speaking_.

I'm showing the absurdity of your arguments.

in any case, here's part of that section:

here's the legal definition, which was what you were probably thinking of:



> Some governments define the term drug by law. In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act definition of "drug" includes "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals." Consistent with that definition, the U.S. separately defines narcotic drugs and controlled substances, which may include non-drugs, and explicitly excludes tobacco, caffeine  and alcoholic beverages.


sugar obviously does not qualify as food.

(and you were arguing things are drugs because people chew on them?)


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## Ymedron (Apr 18, 2010)

I would see the chewing on slowpoketails as questionable exotic treat... A banned food that is forbidden to produce because of the inhumane production methods? Aka cutting the tail off live slowpokes?
Maybe I just forgot what the argument was about.

(PS: How is it really wrong when the tails grow back? I've seen a lot crueller things allowed because of money. Also, why didn't TR just catch their own pokemon instead of pulling such an extreme act and draw everyone's attention to themselves.
Or was it just a case of 'hero induced stupidity'?)


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 18, 2010)

it's probably like ivory or panda meat. and how do you know they grow back? for all we know, the tails are one-off.

(TR is stupid. that is all.)


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## Ymedron (Apr 18, 2010)

Well, at least in heart gold the NPC:s explicitly said that the tails grew back... *shrug*

edit: On second thoughts, maybe that was just so they don't have to make speshul sprites for the slowpokes who don't have their tails any more. But then again, what can you accept as canon if you don't accept things like that..?


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## brandman (Apr 18, 2010)

sreservoir said:


> do you understand the meanings of _or_ and _any_? also, that's a _broadly speaking_.
> 
> I'm showing the absurdity of your arguments.
> 
> ...


Why would they chew on them? Just because they want to chew on them? If you chew on something, your obviously doing it for a reason. People like to chew on chewing gum because they like the taste. People chew on chew tobacco because they either think it's cool (at first) or addicted. Chew Tobacco affects your body to the point of where you _have_ to have it. In the second post I made of the argument I cleared it up, I didn't know everyone had to have it in such detail. Now, I repeat myself, but this time, it's word for word.



			
				SoulSilver Pokedex said:
			
		

> A sweet sap leaks from its tail's tip. Although not nutritious, the tail is pleasant to chew on.


Now tell me that doesn't sound awfully suspicious? They even call slowpoke the *Dopey Pokemon*.

It may *not* be a drug, but it sounds like it fits the criteria. And by the way, I doubt that selling them for 1,000,000 is just overpriced.

And obviously yes, it's a questionable exotic treat.


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## Ymedron (Apr 18, 2010)

Calling it an questionable exotic treat at least circumvents defining it as a drug or not. Personally I don't think it matters if it's a drug or not- People treat it like a drug, it could be an allegory to drugs if nothing else.


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## 1. Luftballon (Apr 18, 2010)

whoever writes pokedex entries has no idea what they're talking about (alakazam iq 5000 wtf), but sure, it's probably not actually legal.

let's leave it at that.


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## Superbird (Apr 24, 2010)

Has anyone read the article about this on the main site or The Quest for the Legends? Those provide ood answers.


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